


War Paint

by arosetosomeone



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Spies of Warsaw (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-05-15 21:57:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5801725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arosetosomeone/pseuds/arosetosomeone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Rose loses a fight with the Weeping Angels, she's transported back in time where she meets some familiar faces. Not only does she have to get used to a new time period but new feelings as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Hello new world of crossovers! This is a crossover of David Tennant's Spies of Warsaw and Doctor Who with a more lean towards the Doctor Who Universe. I'm really excited to explore these two universes together. I plan on updating this weekly so the new chapter should be posted next Saturday. The title for this fic is brought to you by Kelly Clarkson's song of the same name. I really feel that it explains the story that Rose and Jean-Francois will be going on. Here's the link so you can go give it a listen: watch?v=wdMqWTSuHls
> 
> As always I can't wait to hear what you guys think. Enjoy!

"There really wasn't anyone else who could do this?" Rose Tyler asked through her ear piece that was connected to the control center at Torchwood Industries. On the other side was Mickey Smith giving her instructions about her latest mission.

There was a spike in rift energy near one of the major parks in the middle of the city. Torchwood was already keeping a watch on it since a week ago new angel statues made an appearance. They were worried that these statues were a part of the Weeping Angel race but nothing had happened until now.

Rose had just finished dinner when she got the call to check out the spike in energy. The sun had gone down and while there were street lamps, they weren't exactly helping with the freaky factor.

"Sorry, Rose. You were the closest. See anything yet?" Mickey asked.

"No. They're just standin' there being all statue like." Rose replied as she walked by yet another statue.

That was when she felt it. Her hair whipped about in the breeze the movement caused. She spun around, her torch light illuminating a statue with its hands shaped like claws and sharp teeth bared. "Uh, Micks. They're awake." She said as she kept her eyes wide and slowly backed away from the Weeping Angel in front of her.

"We're sending a backup team your way, Rose. Just remember you can't blink." Mickey instructed.

"Mickey don't you go anywhere. I need you to keep talking to me. We may have training but I don't know how long I can hold this." Rose replied.

"Rose, listen to me the team's ten minutes out. You can do this. Just keep starin' 'em down."

"Ten minutes! I have to keep starin' at this thing for ten minutes!" Rose cried out.

"You got this Rose. You've stared down a Dalek, a Cyberman. You're Bad Wolf!" Mickey tried to give her a pep talk.

"Micks, Bad Wolf is nothing more than a code name now. No longer have that power or I wouldn't be in this situation right now." Rose bit back.

"Well you've still got enough bite for it to still be true. You're doing great. They'll be there in about seven minutes. "

"I think you picked the slowest team we've got Micks. You couldn't possibly tell them to step on it?" Rose was beginning to get frustrated. She did her best to try and figure out a way to get out herself but it was rather difficult to do when she had to keep focused on not blinking. She couldn't exactly tase the Weeping Angel either. She still refused to carry a gun so a taser was all she had on her and a can of Weevil pepper spray and that wasn't exactly going to help her either.

Then she felt it, another breeze near her. She held back a sob and didn't even pay attention to what Mickey's response was saying. She couldn't very well keep both angels in her field of vision. "Mickey?"

"No, Rose. I know that voice. Don't you dare." Mickey ordered knowing exactly what Rose was about to do.

"I can't hold on anymore Mickey. There's two and the second one is just barely in my peripheral. I need you to relay some messages for me." She replied.

Mickey banged his fists on the desk as he stood from his chair. "You are not giving up on me Rose Tyler. The team is five minutes away. You can do this."

"Mickey, tell my mum that I love her and that she's going to do so great with little Tony. Tell Pete that I'm so happy for him and thank you. He's done a lot for me that he didn't have to. Tell Jake that I'm so happy that he's in your life keepin' you in line. I'm gonna miss him despite our rows about work. And Mickey?" Rose sniffled.

Mickey felt his heart breaking. This was worse than watching her fly off with the Doctor and the not sure feelings of if he would ever see her again. This time he knew that he would no longer see his best mate, Rose Tyler again. He took a deep breath trying to compose himself. The last thing he wanted was for Rose to remember him crying. "Yes, Rose?"

"Thank you, Mickey Smith. Thank you for putting up with me, for loving me, for watching after my mum. There's just one more thing I need you to promise me…" She trailed off.

"Anything Rose, just say the word." Mickey replied. This was so incredibly hard, harder than saying goodbye to her when she left with Doctor Big Ears and then again with Doctor Pinstripes.

"Tell Tony stories about me, about the Doctor, about how the universe is so much bigger than he actually thinks. And tell him that I love him so, so very much." Rose sniffled. "Goodbye Mickey and thank you."

With that, Rose blinked and was transported in time.

The Weeping Angels returned to their places and Mickey sat back down in his chair, covering his mouth with his hand as he tried his best to hold back a sob as he ordered the backup team to retreat and come back to base. They were two minutes out when he ordered their retreat.

Rose landed with a thud in the middle of the woods. From the looks of it, she landed on a well-treaded path. She slowly stood and dusted herself off before she picked a direction and started walking. Surely she would run into some kind of civilization at some point.

As she walked thoughts swarmed her head about all the things she would never be able to do now. There was no teleport and there was no TARDIS to bring her back to where she belonged. She was overcome with sobs as thoughts of never seeing her unborn little brother be born or even grow up. He would never know who she was, how much he already meant to her as soon as Jackie revealed the news. She would never stand on another planet or see the stars from a front row seat.

The sobs wracked her body as she mourned the losses she had just gone through by a mere blink of her eyes. She hadn't realized that she had sat back down on the ground once more, her back against a tree, until a dog's bark woke her up from her daze. Rose quickly wiped her tears away and tried to make herself presentable.

Not too far behind the dog was a man. As soon as she saw him she began to laugh; full belly, bent over at the waist laughter. The man who was now giving her a curious yet guarded look held the appearance of her Doctor. Instead of sticky uppy hair, it sat against his hair in a mess of curls that she still wondered what exactly they would feel like if she ran her fingers through him. Was this some sick joke or was the universe trying to soften the blow by making her land in a time where the Doctor's doppelganger lived?

"Are you alright mam'selle?" The man asked as he grew closer.

"Me? Oh I guess I'm more alright then I should be after what happened to me. Have I landed in France?" Rose replied once her laughter slowed.

"Yes, you have. On my family's estate. Do you know how you got here?" He asked.

Rose felt as though he knew more than he let on. Right now she was just grateful that he hadn't mentioned her clothing choice especially since she felt like she was not dressed properly for whatever year she landed in. "Why, yes actually I do. If I explained you'd probably try and lock me up so I'm going to ask one simple question and if that answers yours better to whatever it is you're hiding then maybe we can continue on the same page, yeah? So Mister Whatever Your Name Is, what year is it?"

The man bit back a chuckle. "It's 1938. Did you happen to fly here?" He emphasized fly and Rose immediately caught on. It was protocol for when someone suspected of arriving via Weeping Angel and was also suspected of working for Torchwood.

"Why yes, actually I did. So now that you have your answer I guess I could introduce myself. Rose Tyler at your service and you are?" She held out a hand which the man took and placed a kiss across her knuckles.

"Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier and I apologize for your loss." Rose blushed slightly as he pulled back and stood straight once more. "If you follow me I'll lend you some proper clothes before we go into Torchwood. You need to be debriefed and we can't leave you stranded of course. So what year did you come from?"

"The good ol' year of 2008, so please don't freak out if I do or say something that's considered very modern for this era. Then again you're not really freaking out over what I'm wearing now." She answered.

"While my clearance level isn't what is needed to know everything that goes on in the second branch of Torchwood, I do know the basics so I've been trained not to judge. I'll see if I can find you something similar before you delve fully into the fashion of today." He flashed a small smile.

They may act completely different; Rose still could spot a few similarities, especially in the eyes. His chocolate brown irises held a deep sadness that the Doctor's held as well. The man walking next to her may not have 900 years' worth of sadness and heartbreak weighing on him but he knew what those two things felt like, Rose was sure of it. She returned his smile with one of her own as she stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. "Thank you Jean-Francois."

The pair continued their walk in silence. He taking in every detail he could about her, trying to determine as much as he could about her. She taking in every detail she could about her surroundings as she tried to figured out where she was in history and how much she would have to change her behavior.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I know it's been a while life got crazy busy but yay another update! Thanks to everyone for their feedback whether it be in the comments, bookmarks, or kudos you guys are the best. Hope you like the new update and the surprise at the end! Let me know what you think!

Rose didn’t get dressed right away. Jean-Francois brought the latest newspaper with the change of clothes. He also brought her a towel and some soap his sister had left in case she wanted a shower before they went to the Torchwood offices. She sat crossed legged on the bed, the paper laid out in front of her. It was times like these where she wished she still had the TARDIS inside her mind to translate the paper in front of her. Rose leaned on her legs as she took in the photos and the few French words she knew. Torchwood had given her basic language training but it was just enough to pick out words here and there in each article.

She was able to tell though that Adolf Hitler was indeed ruling Germany. Rose folded the newspaper back and stood from the bed. Now that she had a more solid grasp on when she was it was time for her to freshen up to go to the Torchwood offices. She gathered her change of clothes, soap, and towel before going next door to the bathroom. She placed her things on the counter top and stared at her reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. It wasn’t overly evident that she had a break down in the woods earlier. Her makeup was slightly smudged from where she had tried to make herself presentable to Jean-Francois when he came across her. She was just glad she didn’t look as lost and helpless as she felt. She was just getting used to Pete’s World and now here she was, in a brand new time having to learn how to live all over again. 

Rose took a deep breath. She was going to give herself the length of her shower to continue her pity party and then she was going to continue on as she should. Mickey was right. She had faced Cybermen, Daleks, and other terrible creatures. She was the Defender of the Earth, Bad Wolf, she could make it through this with the universe trying to lessen the blow by giving her a Doctor look-alike or not. 

After getting the water to the right temperature, Rose undressed and stepped under the spray. She stood there letting the water cascade down on her as she watched as drops race each other down her body to reach the bottom of the tub. She turned to face the spray and looked up towards the shower head and washed away her makeup before grabbing the soap and cloth to wash her body. She felt like she was washing away parts of her life. She would no longer be a Vitex heiress; she would no longer be a time and space traveler or a shop girl even if she hadn’t been a shop girl in years. In those moments it felt like she was closing major chapters in her life and getting ready to start writing the new one. She was growing and changing as she prepared herself for the meeting with the Torchwood director later that day. 

When she stepped out onto the bath mat, she said a mental farewell to her old life and a hello to the new life she was just starting. She dressed with a new sense of determination. There was a Torchwood here, she could still be of use. She could still make her Doctor proud. 

Rose traipsed down the stairs and found Jean-Francois in the kitchen. He looked up at her approach from a file he was looking over. “Are you all right? I was beginning to think you had run out on me until I heard the shower start.” He asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just adjusting to everything is all.” Rose replied with a small smile. 

He nodded. “I’m sure even with your training it’s still a lot to take in.” 

Rose laughed humorlessly. “You don’t know the half of it, monsieur. Shall we head to the offices then? I’m sure the director is still expecting us.” She changed the subject, not wanting to get into everything she had thought while taking her shower. 

Once more he nodded as he stood from his chair. He knew a dismissal when he heard one. It was obvious she didn’t want to talk about it. She certainly had the air of a second branch Torchwooder as his side called them but there was more to it than that he was sure. Maybe it was the way her eyes expressed what she was really feeling despite her stoic facial expressions. Those honey hues gave her away and he wasn’t sure if she knew that or not. He knew heartbreak when he saw it too. It was something he saw in the mirror for a long time after his wife had passed. That sadness clings to a person, changes their point of view on the world. Her eyes had pleaded with him to allow her to change the subject and he obliged easily. He didn’t want to upset her more than she already was. He wasn’t lying when he said it was a lot to take in. While he hasn’t dealt with many Torchwood agents coming to their time by Weeping Angels he had helped a great deal of civilians after the second branch debriefed them. 

Jean-Francois opened the car door for Rose. She thanked him with her smile as she got in. He got in on the driver’s side and drove them into the city. “So what’s this director like?” Rose asked after a few minutes of silence. 

“He’s laid back but when things get serious he’s quite strict. The ladies around the office call him charming, good looking, and a flirt.” Jean-Francois replied. Rose nodded. “I think I can handle that.” She giggled, smiling her tongue tipped grin. 

Jean-Francois chuckled. “Good to hear since not too many people like that he isn’t serious all the time.” 

Rose rolled her eyes. People were so finicky. Just because someone was in the highest leadership position didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun. “Well, I’m glad it seems that this director knows how to relax. This job can take a lot out of you. It’s good to keep a sense of humor about you or this job could break you.” A memory of Yvonne Hartman as a Cyberman flashed before her eyes before she shook her head to clear her thoughts. She didn’t need to think about that right now. 

“Wise words, Miss Tyler.” He stated. 

“Oh please don’t call me Miss Tyler. Rose is just fine.” She replied, trying her best not to crinkle her nose at the formal name. 

“My apologies. If you don’t want to do formalities you can call me Jean-Francois instead of monsieur or lieutenant colonel.” 

Rose smiled. “Noted.” 

They finished their ride in companionable silence, which wasn’t quite long. Once more, Jean-Francois opened the door for Rose. He helped her out of the car as well by taking her hand and both of them couldn’t help but to notice how perfect the other’s hand fit in theirs. 

Rose let go first, offering a small smile before walking ahead into the office building despite not knowing where exactly she was going. She couldn’t do this right now. Doctor look-alike or not she wasn’t going to let herself fall. Her heart was in a cage protected by a thick concrete wall, or so she liked to think. 

He watched after her for a moment before jogging to catch up with her. He was not going to mix business with pleasure, at least not this time. That could wind up being a very slippery slope and he was not ready to take that tumble. He was dedicated to his country and with the threat of another war on the horizon he didn’t need any distractions. 

“This way, Rose.” He said once he caught up with her and made a sweeping motion with his hand before heading towards the director’s office. 

Rose dutifully followed behind him as she took in the Torchwood office. They stopped in front of the secretary’s desk in front of the director’s desk. The name on the desk read Denise Marion and when Rose looked up she was met with a woman with bright green eyes and dark brown wavy hair pulled back in an elegant bun. “There you are Jean-Francois. The boss was getting antsy with you not showing up sooner. So do we have a civilian or an agent this time?” She asked. 

“An agent.” Rose spoke up, causing Denise to turn towards her. The brunette smiled wide and offered her hand which Rose took and gave a firm shake to. 

“Nice to meet you. Denise Marion. Welcome to Paris.” She smiled before turning to Jean-Francois. “Thank you Lieutenant Colonel. We can take care of things from here.” 

He nodded and turned to leave. Rose was a little saddened that it seemed as though she wouldn’t be seeing him anymore. “Now, Director Harkness will be with you in a moment.” 

Rose looked at Denise with wide eyes. Did she really just say what Rose thought she said? Before she could ask for clarification a man dressed in navy trousers and a light blue oxford with brown suspenders over his shoulders stepped out of the office behind Denise. “Ah there’s our new transfer!” He beamed over at Rose. 

Rose felt like her jaw had hit the floor. There was no way that the universe could be this kind to her. First a Doctor look-alike and now standing before her was Jack Harkness. 

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, mademoiselle.” Jack said, making his way over towards Rose to make sure that she wasn’t going to faint. 

Rose shook her head to clear her thoughts. She seemed to be doing that a lot recently. “You look a lot like someone that I used to know. Share a name and everything too.” She explained. 

“Well, let’s go in my office and talk. I’m sure you’ve had quite the journey.” He offered, motioning for Rose to enter. 

“You’ve no idea.” She said as she made her way into the office. This was about to get even more interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Spring break is here which means I will hopefully get more than just one chapter out this week! Thanks to everyone's support! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

“So I’m sure you have lots of questions and we’ll get to them but first I need to just go through protocol. I’m sure you understand.” Jack said once the door was closed. He sat behind his large oak desk as Rose sat in one of the chairs in front of it. 

She nodded. “My name’s Rose Tyler. I’m from London and the year 2008. I was a team leader, code name Bad Wolf, id number 8600746. Now I know why I was never able to see my own file and Barbra gave me a weird look when I first step foot into Pete’s Torchwood.” 

“Pete’s Torchwood? Did we change names?” Jack wondered. 

Rose ran her fingers through her hair. “This isn’t exactly my first time travel experience. Not only am I not from this time period, I’m not from this universe. There was a war and a friend of mine and I got caught in the crossfire. We tried to stop it but I nearly fell into the void before I was pulled into this universe.” 

Jack nodded and made some notes. “Right, well it seems you’re a right pro at this. That’s really all I need to know. So what questions do you have for me?” 

“Well, I guess I just need to know where I’ll be staying and what I’ll be doing here at Torchwood.” Rose shrugged. She had already familiarized herself with the history of Pete’s World when she first got here and realized it was going to take time before she could return to the Doctor. 

Jack nodded, impressed by her quickness to adapt to the situation. He supposed it came from her experience in time and apparently dimension travel as well. “You see the man who brought you in, Jean-Francois works for the first or original branch of Torchwood. As you may or may not know Queen Victoria created Torchwood in order for only the best of the best to work and gather information to protect Britain. About ten years ago was the first Angel incident and Torchwood broke off into two branches, still under the same name, the second branch however even more secret than the first since we deal with information not from Earth. So after that Torchwood has set up multiple offices around the world. 

I say all of this to say Jean-Francois is good at his job, too good sometimes. He’s getting too close to an area where it’s above his clearance, too close to the second branch of Torchwood. He’s found out that the German army has been working with some new tech. From his reports it sounds alien. I need you to go along with him on his next trip to Warsaw and confirm this. You then need to make sure he doesn’t know exactly what he’s found. I’ll make sure you have all of your papers by the time you two need to leave.” 

Jack then stood and made his way over to one of the book shelves lining the wall and opened what appeared to be a jewelry box. He took out a small stack of money and quickly counted it before handing it to Rose. “This should cover all that you need to purchase to start your stay here. Denise will come with you when you shop, she has a list of what all you need. While you’re out, I will inform Jean-Francois about the assignment. Do try and make it back to the offices before dinner time.” 

Rose stood as Jack made his way towards her. He picked up a small purse from off his desk and put the money in it before handing it to Rose. He then took her hand and placed a kiss across her knuckles causing Rose to giggle slightly and Jack to flash his cheeky smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you Rose Tyler and I can’t wait to work with you.” 

“Thanks, Jack.” She smiled, refraining herself from giving the man in front of her a hug. 

He followed her out of his office and told Denise that she was to follow Rose along on her shopping spree. Jack patted Rose’s shoulder as he walked back into his office calling for someone to get Jean-Francois. 

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~ 

“You’re always looking up at the sky, why is that?” Jean-Francois asked when he came back into their shared train car and saw Rose curled against the window looking out. 

Without taking her gaze off of the night sky, Rose replied. “I’m looking at the stars. They never change and are always constant no matter what time you’re in. They’re comforting.” 

She turned her head when she heard his footsteps come closer to her. She gave him an inviting smile and patted the space next to her. He took up her offer and once he did she returned to looking out the window. “It’s also a silly little game that I play. I pick out a star and try to imagine what sort of life is there. What society’s like, what it looks like, things of that nature. It passes the time when on a long trip.” 

Jean-Francois chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone with such an active imagination, well maybe my sister. It’s refreshing after all of the seriousness I’ve had to deal with lately.” 

Rose wasn’t sure if his statement was a compliment or not. Since they had been assigned the same mission they had spent a lot of time together so that he could inform her on all that he had collected before. She was rather proud of herself for getting over her own personal awkwardness with the situation pretty quickly. It was a good thing too since they were going to spend even more time together. The joys of going undercover. She was the reason he took so long in Paris, which wasn’t necessarily a lie. She came from the London office and he got swept away by the beauty that is an English Rose. They didn’t come up with the story, Jack did and he got a bit theatrical with it as Rose was used to. 

“Maybe it’s because you take yourself too seriously.” Rose teased. 

“Maybe I do but I’m being reminded how not to thanks to you.” He smiled, causing Rose to blush and look back out the window, hoping he didn’t notice her cheeks changing color. 

He stood and pulled out the bed. They needed to get some sleep. “Rose, you can take the bed. I’ll take the bench. We should get some sleep before we get to Warsaw tomorrow.” 

She turned back around. “No, I’m fine right here. Just hand me a blanket and that extra pillow. You’ll be too cramped sleeping here.” 

“If that is what you want.” He sighed and came over towards her causing to raise an eyebrow in a silent question. 

“The blankets are underneath where you’re sitting.” He explained. 

“Oh.” Rose exclaimed, standing up from her spot. 

The small smirk that crossed his features was gone before Rose could even wonder why he did so. He turned out the light allowing only the moonlight to light the small cabin. Before Rose could do anything she was in the bed and Jean-Francois was lying on the bench, his back against the window, and blanket around him with a smug look on his face. 

Rose gasped and sat up, glaring over at her cabin mate. “How did you manage that?” 

“Good night, Rose,” was all he said, not even opening his eyes as he settled against the wall. 

Rose laid back in the bed with a humph and turned so that she was facing the door. “Good night, Jean-Francois.”


	4. Chapter 4

Once the pair reached Warsaw they settled into a small two bedroom apartment. It was cozy and the layout reminded Rose of her flat back on the Estate. The bedrooms were across the hall from one another, one having an en suite and the other bathroom connected to the washroom. It then opened up to the living room and kitchen. Rose immediately fell in love with the large fire place and mentally claimed the chair nearby as her reading/work nook.

Jean-Francois took the master bedroom while Rose took the smaller room. She didn’t mind it, in fact she preferred it since it gave her a sense of normalcy. While she was unpacking Rose heard a knock on her door. She looked up to see Jean-Francois leaning in her doorway. 

“Do you have a preference for dinner? Or any other food requests?” He asked once he had her attention. 

Rose thought for a moment. “Don’t really have a preference for tonight. As for food…” She trailed off, not really sure if frozen foods was a popular item yet. “As for food,” she started again, playing her pause as her thinking, “I’m not too picky but if you could pick up the ingredients for homemade chips, vinegar and chamomile tea that would be fantastic.” 

She smiled and he nodded. “I think I can handle that. I’m going to check out the area as well so if I’m not back in two hours call it in and wait for back up before you come looking for me.” 

Rose nodded; he didn’t need to know her habit of not exactly listening to directions quite yet. “Will do. See you in a few then.” 

“Right, see you in a few.” He began to walk away but then acted like he was going to ask something else. He shook his head and headed out of the flat. 

Rose stared at the space he once occupied trying to figure out what he could possibly want to ask. She shook her head and went back to unpacking. Once all of her things were put away she pulled out the multiple files that was given to her to not only know about the mission but about where she was in the grand scheme of things. She was grateful, for once, for the blank white wall in her room. Ever since doomsday she had to have her walls covered, not from floor to ceiling covered but as long as it had something on it she didn’t feel like the blank space was taunting her. Rose searched through the flat and found thumb tacks and string. She placed those on her bed by the files that were now laying open with all of their contents spread out so that Rose could easily see and grab them. 

Even though she knew the Torchwood history from her training she still began to tack images up on the wall like her own personal time line. At the beginning was Queen Victoria. Just like back in her home universe she was the creator of Torchwood except this time it was created to find intelligence and not of the other worldly kind. Torchwood was a one branch agency for quite some time until the 1920s when the first instance of the Weeping Angels happened. After the initial run in with the angels Torchwood broke off into two different branches. The first branch still remained the hub for British spies but the second branch dealt with the newfound discovery of life besides humans. The second branch soon began to form relationships with other spy agencies in Europe and their top spies would be trained with Torchwood to handle otherworldly happenings. Rose looked down at her next file and saw there was a hand written note on top. It read: _To help you with that ghost. Jack_

She was shocked that he would give her his personal file but as she read through it she knew that the only thing this Jack and her Jack had in common was their name and face. His family had moved to the states but when Jack was in his 20s he moved back to Britain and moved through the military ranks until he was a captain. He soon was recruited by Torchwood and when the opportunity presented itself he took the job as director of the Paris Branch of Torchwood. 

By the time Jean-Francois got back Rose was curled up in the chair by the fire place looking through her case file. “Well good thing I came back just in time or it would have been a while until you came looking for me.” He said when he found her. 

Rose snapped the manila folder shut and looked up at him with wide eyes and a hand over her beating heart. “Gods you scared me.” She breathed out. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were that focused into what you were reading.” He apologized. 

She easily waved him off. “It’s alright I didn’t even know I was that in depth in what I was reading.” 

There was an awkward pause between the two, both not really sure what to say. “Do you need help putting the groceries away?” Rose finally asked, placing the file she had been reading in the chair as she stood. 

Jean-Francois gave her a curious look as she came over to take some of the bags out of his hand. Rose raised her eyebrow in response. “What? Are you going to sneak a peek at a file that’s above your classification while I’m not looking?” She teased him slightly. She saw no harm in what she had done especially since it seemed like everything checked out just fine. 

“No, no I’m not.” He chuckled and followed her into the kitchen. “You know I’m up for a transfer over to the second branch of Torchwood. I think Jack’s using this as a test to see if I’m up to the task.” He mentioned as he set his set of bags on the ground. 

“Oh really now? Look at you Mr. Fancy. So what do you suppose he put me on your team?” Rose asked, leaning against the counter. 

“You were put on this case because not only do I have to work with a person that isn’t a part of this time period but so you can report back on whether or not I would do well in the other side of Torchwood.” 

Rose nodded and then turned to start putting away the groceries. “What did you see that’s put Warsaw on Torchwood’s radar?” 

Jean-Francois began to do the same. “Did you not read my report in your file? I even got their blue prints.” 

“Yes I read them but I want to hear them straight from the source. What did you see that makes you think Germany is up to something?” Rose asked again. 

“I’m not sure if you’ve seen them before but I know I’ve never seen anything like it. They’re smaller tanks, almost like personal tanks with a cannon for an arm. For their armor they had these round things, matter of fact the whole thing looked like it was made of metal.” Jean-Francois explained. 

Rose just nodded. What she had seen in that file was a blue print of a Dalek. It was the reason why it seemed like she was in a trance when he returned. She was staring at the blueprint in shock. She couldn’t believe that not only were Dalek’s a part of this universe but she of course was even more put out of place when she saw two words at the bottom of the blue print: Böser Wolf which was Bad Wolf in German. Was it more reassurance that she was meant to be here? What was her past self trying to say to her? 

“Do you know what they are? Have you seen them before?” Jean-Francois asked. 

“I have and they are things you don’t want to know.” Rose replied. 

“What are they?” He asked. 

Rose shook her head. “I want to make sure they really are what I think are before I answer that question.” All signs were pointing to yes Daleks really were in Germany but she wanted to see one for herself. There was nothing wrong with living in denial for a little bit right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to apologize in case Boser Wolf is actually not the correct German translation of Bad Wolf. I looked it up on the Bad Wolf Wiki page from the Doctor Who specific wiki site. I also just wanted to say a big thank you to all of the support this story has gotten. I've been completely floored by the feedback I have gotten from you guys. I hope you have enjoyed the chapter and as always let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I am SO sorry that this short thing is what you all will be getting as my "come back" chapter. The last few weeks of school were absolutely insane but guess what?! I AM FINISHED! I am no longer a college student which is super weird and it still really hasn't hit yet. I plan on updating this every monday! Thanks for everyone's kind words and sticking around. I hope you enjoy the next chapter and as always let me know what you think!

White. All she sees is white. Not the soft, comforting white that comes with cotton and clean linens. It’s blinding and all encompassing. She reaches out hoping that maybe, just maybe someone will grab her hand and pull her to safety. She hopes that that someone likes pinstripe suits and sandshoes but no one takes her hand. She feels nothing, just sees white. Then there’s something, calling out in the distance and it’s getting louder and louder. Then it’s blaring like being right underneath a fog horn. “EX-TER-MIN-ATE!”

Rose bolts up with a scream and nearly head butts Jean-Francois who soon pulls her to him trying to soothe her. Tears she didn’t even realize were there were streaming down her face. There’s a similar smell encompassing her that makes the white that she was just surrounded by go away. Even though there is a similar scent of wood it’s not mixed with time and space and she finally realizes that it isn’t the Doctor who is comforting her after a nightmare but it’s Jean-Francois. She recoils from his embrace as if she’s been burnt and stares at him like a deer caught in head lights. 

“Please forgive me Rose, I heard you yelling for help and I couldn’t wake you…” He trailed off. 

Rose shook her head trying to get the image of a man who looked so much like her coworker but with sticky up hair out of her head. What could she have said in her sleep? She could have called him any sort of things, said any number of things, given something away. She needed him out. She couldn’t think straight. “Just get out…” She whispered. 

He looked at her in shock. He hadn’t expected that even if he probably should have. 

“Get out.” She said louder but when he still didn’t move she caused a scene. “Just get out. Mercier I said get out!” 

Finally that got him moving. He looked apologetic and right now Rose couldn’t let into her guilt for being awful to someone who was just trying to help her. Once he was gone, she stood and accidentally slammed the door. She hadn’t realized just how much force she had put into closing it. Rose began to pace about her room. She couldn’t get the sound of the Dalek out of her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and tugged at her locks. Why was her subconscious doing this to her? She tore through all of her case files to try and form some sort of answer but she was still left with the same questions she always had. What was Bad Wolf trying to tell her and why were the Daleks here? 

If someone was watching she probably looked like a mad woman as she moved about her room. She quickly dressed, pulling on her boots and bomber jacket last. She had thought she had made it out of the house without Jean-Francois following her out but he was better than what she had given him credit for. 

A couple of blocks away from their shared flat, Rose was grabbed by the arm and turned around to come face to face with the man she admittedly was trying to run away from. “What are you doing?” He harshly whispered. “I don’t know how you did things in your time but you have to be more careful if you’re going out, especially if we’re close to war.” 

Rose tried to get free from his grip but he just tightened his hand around her arm. His brown eyes were stormy with anger but she really needed to stop focusing on the similarities and the differences or this mission was going to fail. The man before her was a completely different man. She was on her own and she had the world to save once again. “Let me go, Jean-Francois.” She said; her voice tight as she used the tone she used when she was acting as Torchwood leader. 

“Not going to happen. You can kick me out of your room as you try to come to terms with whatever seems to be bothering you but you are not going to make me go away out here. It’s dangerous and you storming off, not paying attention to your surroundings could end badly and I’m not going to lose you so soon.” He said. 

Rose huffed, hating that it seemed like her stubbornness was matched. “Fine but no asking questions, no talking, just be my creepy shadow.” She replied. 

Jean-Francois nodded and let her go; taking a step back to indicate that she was free to move. 

Rose spun on her heel and continued to walk the streets of Warsaw. She needed to go to where he had seen the Daleks so that she could confirm herself it that’s what the Germans were really making. She didn’t want to talk to him just quite yet so she just kept walking until she reached the middle of a park. She sat down after making sure that there were no angel statues in sight and after a moment she patted the empty spot next to her, letting Jean-Francois know that he could sit. 

“Do you think you could take me to where you saw those tanks?” She asked once he sat down next to her. 

He nodded. “I can take you tomorrow.” 

Rose shook her head. “Not good enough. I need to see them tonight.” 

“You’re not going to make this easy are you?” He asked. 

“Nope, never do. Now can you take me to where you saw those tanks?” She asked once more. 

He sighed. “Yeah, I can take you.” He stood up and offered his hand out to her. Rose took it after hesitating for a moment but let go as soon as she was standing. 

They walked back to the flat and went straight for the car. They even drove in silence. It wasn’t the pleasant kind of silence that friends can share but it wasn’t awkward either like the kind of silence where there’s the hope that someone will talk. No this silence was tension filled where there’s the hope that no one will talk for the unknown of what will be said and what will happen keeps them silent. 

Jean-Francois cut the lights before he cut the engine about a mile from where they would go and spy on the Germans. Rose was out of the car before he could say anything. He sighed, rolling his eyes before he rushed to catch up with her. Were all Torchwood agents like this? He wondered. 

Rose got as close as she could without being visible to the Germans. She stayed low, crouched in some bushes near the country lines. A pair of binoculars was soon in her field of sight and she took them, flashing Jean-Francois a sheepish smile. Of course she would need something to see, it’s not like they would parade right at the border lines. She was just grateful that it seemed like Jean-Francois was prepared. 

She brought the lenses up to her eyes and tried her best to see something. She heard the gun shots before she saw any signs of life. She scanned the field and soon found the army practicing their aim when she saw exactly what she was looking for but hoping not to find. The soldiers stood and out rolled five Daleks. They shouted their catch phrase of sorts and fired their lasers causing the target dummies to disintegrate. 

Rose dropped the binoculars and looked over at Jean-Francois with a grave expression on her face. “We need to call Torchwood.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So sorry that I didn't update this yesterday as planned. I know great start on that schedule huh? Anyways I had to wake up SUPER early for work today so I pretty much went to bed right after dinner. So I hope you enjoy this chapter I think you guys are going to really like it. I know I enjoyed writing it. As always let me know what you think!

Jean-Francois was beginning to get impatient. They had gone to the embassy first thing in the morning. Rose was giving him nothing. All he knew was that she was very concerned and she wanted to jump into action right away. 

She had asked about how he had gotten the blue prints and he told her. She then told him to set up another meet and then nothing. He could hear her moving around in her room. She paced, ruffled through papers, tore papers and made various noises of frustration. 

He tried to go in and figure out what was wrong, to see if he could help but she had locked her door. There were a few tense moments afterwards. There was no movement or sound. He willed her to open the door but the only movement after he tried the door was her moving to turn out the light. 

Was this the organization he was trying to work for? Someone who doesn’t communicate with their partner? Or was that just Rose? He made a mental note to make sure to take time to really get to know Rose as he watched her talk animatedly on the phone with presumably Jack. 

There was a pause as Rose listened to what was being said. She then turned and locked eyes with him, motioning for him to come join her in the conference room once she had his attention. 

He had to hold himself back from jumping up from his chair. Finally he would hopefully know more about what he found out. 

“She must keep you on your toes.” Madame Dupin commented as he walked past her desk. 

Jean-Francois chuckled. “She’s certainly something else.” 

As soon as he entered the room he was met by more questions than answers like he had hoped. 

“What do you know about Bad Wolf?” Rose asked. Jack must have said something for she rolled her eyes. “I’m seeing how much I need to tell him. If he wants second branch Torchwood then this is the perfect case for him to figure out if it’s truly something he wants.” 

Jean-Francois watched her curiously. What was going on? 

“No, Jack I don’t want another member. Who I have is just fine. He’s the one who has all of my connections anyway. Will you stop worrying about classifications for just one moment and listen to me?!” She exclaimed. There was finally silence and she sighed. “Finally, thank you. Jean-Francois is the perfect candidate for this mission. He has the connections I need in order to uncover all of the intel I need. He also seems like a pretty reasonable man and while it may take him a bit to maybe process through what I’m about to inform him on I am sure that he won’t let it keep him from completing the mission. Now are you going to really fight me on this now that you know my entire story?” She asked and how she was standing it was like Jack was really in the room instead of miles away on the other end of the phone. 

After Jack said something she smiled and told him goodbye before hanging up. “Jean-Francois have a seat because trust me you’re going to need to.” She motioned towards the chair. Rose then moved over towards the chalk board and began drawing a line of circles overlapping. She labeled them home, Pete’s World, Universe 1 and Universe 2. She turned back around and launched into an explanation about parallel universes and how she is more than just a Torchwood agent who got displaced by a Weeping Angel. 

“So I ask you again, what do you know about Bad Wolf?” Rose asked, staring intently at him. 

“Um, I’ve only ever heard of the legend. She’s someone who can destroy but also save. Only some know what it means when those words show up but most of the time when people see those words they just think it’s a reference to that legend.” He answered. 

Rose laughed. She really was the stuff of legends then wasn’t she? It wasn’t just an off the wall answer the Doctor had given. Jean-Francois looked at her as if she had grown two heads. “Right, sorry. You’d be correct but she isn’t a legend, she’s standing right in front of you. I no longer have that power but apparently when I scattered the words across the universe it went to parallel ones as well. When I saw the words on the blue prints I couldn’t believe it but I’m meant to be here Jean-Francois for whatever reason Bad Wolf wanted me here and not where I thought I always was going to be so who am I to argue with my all-knowing self?” 

She was really putting the Doctor to shame as she bounced about the room and was leaving no room for questions. She spun the chalk board and then drew a rough sketch of a Dalek. “This right here is what you saw, well, what’s pretty close to what you saw. I’m not the best artist in the world. Anyways, this is called a Dalek. One of the vilest creatures in all of the multi-verse. No remorse or even really emotion besides anger and hatred really. They’re war machines through and through. They’re the reason why I’m here in your universe. So if the Germans are using them or if they’re using the Germans, either way it’s not good so we need to set up a meet with that informant of yours and we need to do that asap.” 

Jean-Francois just stared blankly at the blonde in front of him. She was right earlier, it was going to take him a while to process through all of this. 

“Oh, and welcome to branch two of Torchwood. I hope you’re ready.” She beamed. 

This got a response out of him as he chuckled. “Okay, first I will try to have something set up for tomorrow. As for now you and I are going to go get brunch and we’re going to have a conversation about all of this so I can understand this better.” 

Rose wiped the chalk off her hands and nodded. “I think I can manage brunch.” 

“Are you excited about this?” He asked. In the short time he had known her he had never seen her this, well, excited. 

Rose looked a bit sheepish. “Look dealing with Daleks is something I’m used to. Something I would even venture to say I’m good at so I apologize if I’m a little excited for this normalcy.” She then bit her lip. “And this is the most exciting thing I’ve worked on at Torchwood in ages. There’s only so much rift monitoring, testing and weevil chasing a girl can handle before she’s wishing she’s back in the stars.” 

Once more the look as if she had two heads appeared. Rose patted his shoulder. “You’ll get that reference after we’re done with brunch.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I am so sorry for how late this is. My computer hasn't been the kindest to me lately so I'm borrowing my mom's for the time being. Thank you all for the support and love! As always I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think.

Rose and Jean-Francois were sitting in a cafe near the embassy offices. Rose knew that he must have a million questions for her but she was pleased that he was taking everything she had said well. “So the only reason why you gave me nothing to go off of this morning and last night was because you needed to get me cleared?” He finally asked.

“Sort of. You see, I’ve dealt with these...aliens before. Thought I was done with them actually. But apparently they found a way out.”

“You locked them away?”

Rose nodded. “Reason why I’m in this universe. Sorry about last night and this morning. I must have driven you mad but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.”

“You could have just said something. I’m supposed to be helping you during this after all.”

Rose let out a self-depreciating laugh. “Yeah, I should have. Habit, I guess.”

That caused him to raise an eyebrow. Much like the Doctor, his left eyebrow skyrocketed to his hairline. “I traveled with this friend and he didn’t really do domestics or emotions. We would go from place to place, never really talking. We talked some but most times I was left to deal with my emotions on my own.”

Jean-Francois reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “You can talk to me. We’re partners, we need to talk to each other so that we can get the job done. No more keeping things from me, okay?”

Rose nodded. “Yeah, no more keeping secrets.” She smiled. “Thank you, Jean-Francois.”

He returned the smile and there was that weird pull again. The pull that caused him to stop before he left to get groceries the first day they arrived in Warsaw. This time they both could feel it and their hands began tingling before they felt it all over. Rose was the first to pull away. She couldn’t do this could she? Fall in love with the Doctor’s doppleganger? That was ridiculous wasn’t it, so soon after everything? Then again it wasn’t really all that soon and she had come to terms that she was never going back that she was to live her life out here and living the rest of her life with Jean-Francois as her Torchwood partner wouldn’t be so bad.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She couldn’t go down that road just yet. Just when she starts to really get feelings for someone they seem to be taken from her and she wasn’t too sure how she would react if that would happen to Jean-Francois. Best to keep things professional and friendly. “So, tell me about your informant. Will he be able to easily get the information we need?” She asked.

“He will. We’ll meet with him tomorrow, tell him what we need and then we’ll give him a deadline. From then on we wait.”

“How long of a wait?”

“Shouldn’t be longer than a week.”

Rose groaned and leaned back in her chair. 

“Hey, I make waiting fun.”

“Oh do you now?” She teased him, smiling her tongue tipped grin.

Jean-Francois had never seen that particular smile on her before and he decided that it was his favorite out of all of her smiles. “Yes, I do.” He smirked before chuckling. “You’re quite the impatient one aren’t you?”

Rose giggled. “That would be me.”

“We’ll just have to make sure that time goes quickly for you then.”

“Guess we will.”

The meet was at a pub near their flat. It was set when there was just enough business going on that the space was filled with chatter. His informant was already there, sipping on his ale while trying to not look fidgety. Rose was about to walk right to him but Jean-Francois pulled her back. “Stay here until I give you a sign for you to join us. He’s a jumpy thing and wouldn’t want to scare him.” He said when she looked up at him.

“Am I scary, colonel?” She asked.

Jean-Francois chuckled. “No but a fresh face will scare him. So just wait here.”

Rose sighed and rested against a pole as she watched Jean-Francois approach the man. She noticed that his hand was slightly shaking and almost felt bad for him. He was doing a rather risky thing at a time where everyone was nervous and watching their back. Soon Jean-Francois was looking up and when the two locked eyes, he nodded, signalling for Rose to join them.

She walked over at sat beside Jean-Francois and offered a smile towards the man across the table. “Rose this is Edvard Uhl, Edvard this is Rose Tyler. She’s working with me on this project.”

Edvard nodded his head. “Pleasure to meet you, Rose. Colonel Mercier told me you had some more questions for me?”  
Rose nodded. “Yes, I need you to get any more information you can. Why this design? Testing schedules, what they’re used for or going to be used for.”

“I believe I can get those documents. Give me 72 hours and I will have them.”

The two nodded. “72 hours. We’ll meet back here and I’ll have your usual payment.” Jean-Francois said as he stood and offered a hand to help Rose up. 

“Thank you.” Rose said as she took his hand and followed Jean-Francois out of the pub. “I want to get closer.” She said as they began their walk back. “To film their tests, to see them up close.”

“How about I do that? I’ll go after we have the information Edvard can get us.”

“Why can’t I do it?”

“Because you don’t have enough pull at Torchwood or with the French government to get a green light to travel into Germany.”

“But I could still go with you!” She exclaimed, not caring for how he was putting her off to the side.

“I’ll explain more once we get inside.”

That didn’t go over too well with Rose. She stormed off, going the rest of the way to their flat. Jean-Francois groaned. Things were going so well with them. She definitely was not like any of the other girls he normally wooed but she was a good kind of different that frustrated him. “Rose, look. It’s not that I don’t want you there. It’s just that it would be a better if it was only one person and I don’t think you have the proper training to make sure that you don’t get caught.”

“Then train me and we can do it together!”

Jean-Francois shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to properly train you in enough time.”

Rose grew more frustrated and went to her room, pulling out her Torchwood file. She came back and shoved the folder into his chest. “You’ll see that I’m more than qualified.”

They were so close that he could see the gold flakes in her eyes sparkling with her fiery spirit. “I’m sure you are Rose -”

“Then why won’t you train me?” She cut him off.

“If you would have let me finish then I would have told you that I think you’re very qualified but you are too attached this that doing a small task like this could be dangerous for you if you saw something that caused you to get too upset. You could expose yourself and that’s not something I want to risk.” He explained as he reached up and caressed the hand that was keeping the file on his chest.

“They won’t get in the way.” Rose said, her breath hitching from her burst of frustration and being so close to Jean-Francois.

“I’ll still train you, Rose but you aren’t going to Germany.” He said in his voice that demanded to be listened to.

“I could flip you over right now and not think twice about it.” She whispered, grasping at straws to try to convince him to let her come.

Jean-Francois moved in closer, they were practically sharing each other’s breath at this point. “Stop trying to prove yourself to me, Rose. I believe you, right now you could pin me down to the floor without even breaking a sweat but that isn’t going to change my mind. I’m not going to let you risk the chance of being caught by German soldiers.”

They stared at each for what felt like years but was truly just a few seconds. It would be so easy for Jean-Francois to close the gap between them to see if the feeling he felt earlier with her would cause the cliched sparks to fly. He was the first one to pull back this time. He took the file from her hand and made his way to the kitchen. “I’ll have food ready soon.”

Rose nodded and walked to her room. This was getting more complicated than she had anticipated.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So I think it's been pretty close to a month since I've posted a new chapter which I am truly sorry for! First my old lap top died on me but I've got a new one now so yay! Then well life happened and finally I had to find time when I could sit and watch scenes from SOW to make sure that I got some details correct even though I'm pretty sure I've already messed up the time line a bit but wibbly wobbly timey wimey right? I also want to apologize for this chapter being short but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Thank you so much for all of the support! It means the world!

Rose was nursing a nice, hot cuppa by the fire when Jean-Francois made his way into the kitchen to make one for himself. Bare feet padded across the floor and his thick locks still dripped water from his shower. His tight curls hid the fact that he had a thick mane and anyone would know this if they saw him after he showered for it took just that small bit of extra time to dry even if he ran a towel over it just before.

He could still tell that she was upset but he stood by his decision. As she watched the flames, he watched her. She was something special, of that he was certain even if he couldn’t quite believe the Bad Wolf story she had told. It was even in her file. Yes, he read her file before he showered, it was the reason he decided to go straight for the steady stream of water before he had his last cup of tea. The woman before him not only got him to drink more tea, which was a feat in and of itself but had saved so many lives and the multi-verse. If she could become so afraid (because that’s what he decided was the look in her eye before she began giving orders - fear) and go into an autopilot, must save the universe mode then there was no way he was letting her go to Germany to film their tests. She could get caught and Germany could try to harness this supposed god-like power she had when she no longer has it and he could not bear the thought of her being hurt, tortured or killed.

Weeks passed and things seemed to calm down, well at least between Jean-Francois and Rose, the rest of the world was still slowly building into chaos. Another spy was killed, a couple was now under their protection and these two very stressful events seemed to have calmed the storm that had brewed between the two. Ever since their argument Rose had kept things professional and that was it. She was cordial in their interactions and showed little to no friendliness as he was used to towards him but she always showed it towards the Rosen’s.

They had gotten some new intel and they decided it was best for Rose to stay in Warsaw to keep watch of the Rosen’s (Rose offered this time, she noticed how nervous the Rosen’s were when it came up there was a possibility that both of them would be leaving) while he traveled to find the person they needed. A couple of hours had passed since Jean-Francois left when Rose heard a knock on the door. She dropped the plate back into the soapy water and dried her hands on the towel before going to see who was at the door. When she saw that it was Jean-Francois’ friend, Antoni, she pulled the door open, worry seeping through her.

“Get your coat, Rose. There’s been a shooting. He’s okay from the last update I’ve heard.” He said.

Rose grabbed her coat and closed the door behind her, hurrying behind Antoni. Oh was she going to have some words for him when he returned.

They were on standby with an ambulance and it was driving Rose mad. She so badly wanted to just run right in, drag Jean-Francois out by those perfectly coiled curls of his and then let him have it. That wasn’t going to happen, however. By the third lap of pacing Rose had done in front of Antoni he had taken her from her path and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, keeping her place. Her glared up at him did nothing but cause him to chuckle. 

She turned back to face the building when she saw a door open. Hope swelled up into her chest before it was deflated with the bang of the explosion. They all rushed to the building to save as many as they could. Two Germans were dead, two were taken into custody and Jean-Francois was taken to the hospital.

Once more Rose’s pacing was driving Antoni nuts so he sent her to get some water. While she was gone, Jean-Francois woke up. “What happened?” He croaked.

“You were caught in an explosion.” Antoni answered.

“And the Germans?”

“Two dead and two are at the embassy waiting to be questioned. Germany wants them back but we’re not going to give them to them. The embassy will be here soon but I don’t think it’s them you should be worried about.”

Jean-Francois was doing his best to figure out who Antoni could possibly be talking about but then a familiar blonde walked through the door. They locked eyes and her casual pace sped up and soon he felt a sting across his arm from where she had slapped him. “Did you just hit me?!” He asked, shocked.

Rose hit his arm once more. “Don’t you ever do that to me again!” 

Antoni excused himself but neither Rose or Jean-Francois heard him. “I’m sorry what?” Jean-Francois asked.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again! You only have one life so I’m going to need you to be more careful or I will raise you back from the dead and kill you myself.” She said.

He noticed how wide and bright her eyes were. She was truly worried about him even if she wasn’t saying it. Jean-Francois opened his arms and without thinking Rose stepped into them, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as his came around her waist. She buried her face into his neck, taking in that he was really there. “You really scared me.” She mumbled.

“You know I can’t make any promises since our line of work is dangerous but I can apologize. So Rose Tyler I am sorry for scaring you. Now how about we get out of here before the embassy comes and then we’ll really be in trouble?”

Rose nodded before pulling back. She handed him Antoni’s coat that he had left behind and helped him walk out of the hospital and to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this another week will go by because I will be on vacation and will not be able to update anything. So I will be back for usual weekly scheduled updates after next week. Once again thank you for all of the support! Let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I know this has taken forever. I promise I haven’t forgotten about this story! After my vacation life just got real and I was super busy! Now that I’m done with my internship I have so much more time to finally sit down and write without making myself exhausted. ANYWAYS enough about me, let’s get back to the story and to YOU! Thank you so much for all of your kudos, bookmarking and commenting! Even if I haven’t replied back to all of the comments I do read them and they really make me smile so THANK YOU! As always I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

While Jean-Francois wanted people to believe that his prediction about imminent warfare was true, he wished that it wasn’t. Word had gotten out that the Germans were going to start moving the Daleks into Poland and he was truly hating that he had been right. He wasn’t sure if the world was quite ready for a war of this magnitude again and certainly not with the Germans having the Daleks as a part of their defense. 

When they had gotten the full detail of how the Germans were building these machines, Rose had poured herself into studying the blue prints and the video footage they had received as well. She was using words and phrases that he had never heard before and it reminded him that she wasn’t of this world, of this time period, of this universe. She had adjusted so well since the time he had met her that it was like she had always been here. What was a sonic screwdriver anyway and how would it make things ten times easier? 

Usual in times of war motions were being gone through. The train that they had packed with the gold reserve was already on it’s path with Antoni leading the mission. The embassy was essentially empty of the familiar faces, all of them having gone back to France to help prepare for the war that was being called against Germany. Although the familiars were not there, didn’t make the building empty. The embassy was filled with Second Branch Torchwood Agents that had the clearance to know about the Daleks. They were all listening to Rose go through her plan that she had double and triple checked with him while she was planning. He felt like she wasn’t used to meticulously planning out a mission. She seemed more like a play it by ear type of agent, especially since he had to continuously tell her that yes, she was doing this right. 

Rose indeed was a more play it by ear type of agent. She was used to making up things as she went along. She would get all the information she would need and then run straight into the mission. When Jack had told her to come up with a plan of attack she faltered slightly but soon rose to the challenge and now she was telling her fellow agents how they were going to take down the Daleks.

There was something else stirring and Rose wasn’t sure how she knew there was something more to this than the Daleks joining forces with the Germans. She knew it though, knew it deep in her bones that something bigger was happening and she hoped she portrayed that when talking with the other agents. 

Now, all they had to do was wait. There were warning sirens placed along the borders to signal when the Germans crossed. They didn’t know when it would happen, they just knew it was happening. Three days passed before the streets of Warsaw were filled with the sound of the siren blaring. The streets quickly emptied and soon the only people that were out and about were the Torchwood agents. 

They were heard before they were seen. A small troop of Daleks rolled down the streets of Warsaw with soldiers behind them. Torchwood agents were standing at the ready, waiting to hear the command to begin shooting. The Daleks stopped and surrounded the agents, preparing to exterminate them all. The leading commander of the soldiers shouted his demand to fire but the Daleks stayed still. After waiting, he shouted his demand once more.

At that a Dalek turned around and Rose let out a small breath of relief. She felt as though it was staring into her very being. She hoped she wasn’t recognized. How could she be after all?

“SILENCE.” The Dalek spoke. “YOU WILL BE SILENT. DALEKS ARE NOW IN CONTROL.”

The commander opened his mouth to retaliate but was soon resolved to dust. The soldiers took a step back with wide eyes, wondering what it was they had done, what they had created. The agents stiffened, preparing for a battle they knew they had a slim chance of escaping from. The leading Dalek turned back around and moved closer to Rose. “HOW ARE YOU AND THE DOCTOR HERE? EXPLAIN.”

Rose stepped forward, shaking her head. “That isn’t the Doctor. Scan him. He’s human. Me? I’m exactly who you think I am. Rose Tyler, ex companion to the Doctor, Defender of the Earth, and Bad Wolf.”

The Dalek turned towards Jean-Francois and moved his eye up and down, scanning the man thought to be it’s life long enemy like Rose had suggested. “HE IS HUMAN. EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN!”

“He just shares a face with the Doctor. The Doctor isn’t in this universe, never was, never will be. Now why don’t you explain why you’re here and show these people just how supreme the Dalek race is?” Rose played up the alien race’s ego, hoping that it’ll get them talking.

“WE NEED A PART THAT WAS HIDDEN HERE. ONCE WE HAVE IT THE CRUCIBLE WILL BE COMPLETE. WE WILL RULE THE UNIVERSE AND ALL ENEMIES OF THE DALEKS WILL BE EXTERMINATED.” 

Rose shook her head. Things were beginning to piece together. This was why she was sent here. This is what the Bad Wolf wanted. She could have easily played the what if game in her head but this universe and time had grown on her and she was rather glad this is the direction the Bad Wolf had pulled her in. “Well, hate to burst your bubble, but that’s not going to happen. Fire!” She shouted.

All of the agents raised their guns and aimed for the eye stalks of the Daleks. Gun fire, screams and lasers could be heard throughout the streets. When Rose noticed that she was now half of her original size she began to slowly retreat with her remaining team and began to throw the grenades they had collected. Once there was enough space between them and enough smoke to blind the Daleks the team of agents began running to their next check point. Rose looked down a side street and noticed the back of a Dalek speeding down the parallel road. “Oh no you don’t.” She whispered as she pushed herself to run faster. “Mercier stay with the others!” She called out as she cut across the group and sped down another side road.

“Keep going! We’ll meet you there!” Jean-Francois ordered to the other agents as he followed Rose. There was no way he was going to leave her alone during this.

When Rose heard footsteps behind her, she ran faster, running on pure adrenaline. Jean-Francois caught up to her and once she noticed, she let out a frustrated huff. This was payback for all the times she didn’t listen to the Doctor, she was sure of it. 

“If you thought I was going to let you do this alone, you thought wrong,” He said.

“I don’t even know why I expected for just this once you would actually listen,” Rose replied.

He chuckled, and found himself wondering how he could laugh at this pressing time. This caused Rose to laugh. “You’ll get used to it.” She then took his hand and raced towards the Dalek, hoping that they would get there in time to stop it.

They noticed the Dalek turn and followed after it, halting at the end of the street when they realized the Dalek was no longer alone. There was a small circle of Daleks surrounding a hole in the ground. They were shouting out demands as the looked down. Rose and Jean-Francois assumed that a Dalek was digging for what they needed to finish building whatever the Crucible was. 

Rose pulled out a couple more grenades each. They pulled the pins then rolled the explosive towards the Daleks. Daleks flew into the air as the grenades went off, crashing down and cracking as they landed. Jean-Francois, covered Rose as she pulled her gun from her holster and ended the last of the Daleks that were standing around the hole. 

On alert, the pair ran over, Rose landing on her knees as she looked down to see nothing but dirt. In all of the noise the digging Dalek had found what it was looking for and had transported to the awaiting Dalek ship to head back to the Crucible. Rose repeatedly hit her fists on the ground, cursing the Daleks and herself for not thinking about how the Dalek could have gotten away.

Jean-Francois helped her up and placed his hands on her shoulders. He bent down so they could look into each other’s eyes then gave her shoulders a slight squeeze. “Hey, none of that agent. We’ve got team members to check on and you have to trust that when and where ever that Dalek went to, it will be stopped.”

Rose’s eyes widened when he spoke to her. He hadn’t brought her up to start running to the next thing or even trying to distract her. He acknowledged how she was feeling and she knew she shouldn’t be so surprised but with all of the running they had done and talk of the Doctor and with fighting against Daleks, she had momentarily forgotten that the man in front of her was not the Doctor but was the man despite his similar appearance made her move on from her past and come to terms with never being able to go back to the stars. She nodded and he gave her a smile, took her hand and ran.

They actually weren’t that far away from the other checkpoint. When they got there they still had all of those they had left. The group had defeated the remaining Daleks and the few soldiers that had stayed instead of running back to Germany to warn the others about what happened with the war machines they had created.

It was a small victory. There were no more Daleks in Pete’s World and there never would be again. They would all disappear once they got word that the missing piece was retrieved but Jean-Francois would be right once more in his prediction. The Daleks would be stopped when and where ever they went to in the main universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Don't you fret my dear readers, this is not the last chapter but the story is coming to an end soon. I've got two more chapters planned. Hope you enjoyed! I'm a little rusty so hopefully it wasn't too bad. Let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I know this has been a long time coming but here we are! We are at the end. Thank you to everyone who has come along with me on this ride. It's been really awesome and I'm so glad you enjoyed this story! As always let me know what you think and I hope enjoy the last chapter of War Paint!

The Torchwood agents including Jean-Francois and Rose made sure that Warsaw was fully prepared for what was about to happen. When they were given the all-clear, Jean-Francois and Rose were on the next train to France.

“Why did those things think they knew me?” Jean-Francois asked when Rose stood to grab a blanket. They had been talking about what they plan to do once they got back to France.

Rose froze at his question. She had hoped that he would forget about it, let the incident slide by, but of course he hadn't. She took a deep breath as she pulled down the blanket. “The Doctor was the friend I traveled with and was separated from. The last time I saw him he looked like you. I'm honestly surprised you didn't ask sooner ‘cause he's in my file, picture and everything.”

Jean-Francois shook his head. “It wasn't in there when I looked.”

Rose's eyes lit up like she had realized something. “That's because we haven't come to Pete's World yet.”

He furrowed his brow in confusion. “What's that supposed to mean exactly?”

Rose adjusted the blanket around her shoulders. “I'm a time traveler, remember. What's happened for me hasn't happened for you yet. What's in my file now is what I told Jack about myself when they debrief to me after the angels. I don't know why it had never occurred to me until now that my file wouldn't be as full as it was when I'm from.”

Jean-Francois chuckled, “You talk about all this as if it's an ordinary conversation.”

Rose shrugged. “That's because it is and it soon will be for you too if you are to switch branches.”

He simply nodded, taking everything she said in.

“You don't have anymore questions?” Rose asked when the moment of silence seemed like it was going to last.

“What does it all mean for us?”

“Well, it made it easier to talk to you at first then after that you were Jean-Francois Mercier, Colonel, fellow Torchwood agent and spy. All you share with him is looks except for the hair. His wasn't curly. Our friendship is ours. There's no false emotions based on my past friendship with the Doctor if that's what you're worried about.”

He once again just nodded. He was taking it all in, processing. He hadn't truly been able to process everything he had learned on this mission, about the world, about the woman sitting across from him who had already seen and done so much.  
“I know it's a lot but will you please say something?” Rose asked, not being able to stand the silence.

Jean-Francois looked up to Rose’s worried expression. “I apologize. I'm just processing through everything. I can tell this is going to be a different debrief then what I'm used to.”

Rose nodded. “Yeah, you can count on that.”

He nodded then turned to look back out the window. Rose sighed and leaned back in her seat. The rest of the ride was silent.

When they returned to France, they headed straight for the Torchwood office. Jean Francois was welcomed to the second branch of the organization but when he found out that Rose was being asked to transfer to England, he raced out of Jack's office to find her. After her debriefing, Rose had a lot to think about so she wandered until she found a courtyard. She knew Jean-Francois was going to be promoted. She told Jack he would be an idiot if he didn't offer Jean-Francois a position. Then she was told about how London wanted her and she needed to decide within the next couple of days.

So here she was standing in front of a tree, arms wrapped around herself and looking up at the sun coming through the green leaves. Should she go back to London? Could she?

The door slammed open, causing Rose to spin around to see who the intruder was. In a few long strides Jean-Francois was standing in front of her, “Don't go. Please don't go. I know this past train ride would make you feel otherwise but when I was told, I couldn't bear the thought that you wouldn't be here. Don't go to London, stay here with me in Paris and I promise to not only be the best partner I can be but to also love you because Rose Tyler, I -” His words were cut off by Rose pulling him down to her in a searing, passionate kiss that was a long time coming. 

“Do love you.” Jean-Francois whispered once they had pulled apart.

“I love you too and I promise, I'm not going anywhere.” Rose replied before they shared another kiss.

***

“And they lived a very happy life, a fantastic one even. She always told me stories of her adventures in the stars but hearing how her and grandad met was my favorite. She still loves you, I believe but her and grandad loved each other very much. You would have been proud of her Doctor, so proud.” A young blonde no older than when Rose was when she was swept away by the angels with curly hair and big, round, gold eyes said to the man in a pinstripe suit and sand shoes.

In his hand was an old picture of Rose and Jean-Francois under the Eiffel Tower smiling at each other, arm in arm and a letter from one of his past companions that had found a place forever in his two hearts. “Thank you, Izzie. Rose would be proud of you. Now let's get you home, shall we?”

Izzie just smiled and nodded. The Doctor returned the smile as best as he could as he flipped switches and turned knobs to get the TARDIS to return to Pete's World. Rose Tyler finally lived that fantastic life she was always meant to live while still saving the universe, how else was she supposed to live it?


End file.
